| Carradene stood beneath a tree and stared out at the dark sky. Soon
the moon would rise. "I don't know how you stand it, Carradene," Loam said
softly as he came up next to him. "You play your part as well as
I, Loam. We are alike in more ways than one," Carradene said as he stroked
his grimacing snout. "We do what must be done, pride be damned."
Loam looked back at the entrance of the Council Chamber cut into the stony
hillock. "If that pirate ship is seaworthy, and there is no reason to believe
it isn't, they will all leave with him, Carradene." "Then I pray he knows
what he is doing," Carradene replied. Shaking his head, he added, "I know
exactly how far away we are from land. It won't be an easy voyage." Loam
shrugged, "We are all in the hands of Fate. But he is no stranger to seafaring.
His family has many a famous mariner in its ranks." And then Loam chuckled,
"I knew he would become useful when I first found out his name, but I never
expected this turn of events." Carradene looked up at him, "Nor
I."
A cool breeze rustled through the leaves above their heads. Loam sniffed, catching a faint scent of ocean waves. "Do you really believe the plague that the golem spoke of is some kind of ruse?" he asked. "Malachi never even hinted at it," Carradene answered. "Malachi is a dragon," Loam said with suspicion in his voice. Carradene's brows lifted in surprise, "And he is a sworn enemy of Minestus. Why do you doubt him now? He has been our only hope of escape, until..." "Until the golem," Loam finished his sentence. "Yes, the golem," Carradene breathed hard. "You know Loam, I'm actually glad that the Pack will be leaving. I will no longer be responsible for them. And with Moreau dead I can drop this act and stop playing the old fool. Lately, it has become quite grating." Loam nodded, "If Moreau had ever discovered what you were really up to, how you had never stopped looking for a way out, you would have been dead long ago. Ofcourse, becoming an ally with a rogue dragon would not have pleased her much either. So, is Malachi arriving tomorrow?" Carradene squinted up at the starry sky. "If the golems haven't gotten to him too. I swear Loam, this is an evil turn, world plague or no. Whoever or whatever the golems serve...it is an evil turn." The loud, happy shouts of the Pack suddenly reached his ears and he turned to see them emerge from the mouth of the rocky hill. Fred was in the lead. Loam rushed to meet them. And then, without warning, the cold night air was filled with a terrible howling. Everyone froze, their ears pricking at the bestial sound. Their muscles tensed and their hearts sped up. Only one kind of creature cried out in the night like that. The Forsaken. Go Back
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